Rare occasions

After a flight of eleven hours, I finally got to America. The eleven hours on the plane felt like five, because I slept most of the time. Something that almost never happens. When we landed, it was raining in LA! That’s another occasion that almost never happens. But fortunately, the rain didn’t last long and LA’s golden sun made it’s comeback.

Black Friday

I picked up my car and drove to Santa Monica. I was surprised, because I got there with no navigation. I think I’m pretty used to the way around here after been here a couple of times before. In Santa Monica I went shopping on the Third Street Promenade. That’s a very cosy street full of shops and close to the beach. But, it was Black Friday. That’s the Friday after Thanksgiving when all the families start buying Christmas presents together. At the same time the stores offer big discount deals. And that’s a good thing! So you can only imagine that’s one of the most busiest shopping days of the year. Of course I rushed to Victoria’s Secret. There you’d get the second bra with a 50% discount. Sounds good right? That’s what a lot of people thought… The queue to the dressing rooms was endless! I didn’t feel like waiting that long after an eleven hour flight, so I decided: no Black Friday for me :)

Welcome to Calabasas

I really needed to relax, so I got in the car and drove to the hotel I’d stay for the weekend. It was the Anza hotel in Calabasas (Spanish word for pumpkin). Calabasas is a quiet village in the Hidden Hills on a thirty minute drive from Hollywood and Malibu. I thought it would be a good place to recover from my jetlag. And it certainly is! I’m staying in the Anza hotel and my room is nice and very big! Especially the bed is big and cotton soft :)

Perfectly perfect

Across the street, there’s the shopping center of Calabasas. There are a couple of stores and some restaurants. And it’s like you’re in Disney World. Everything in this suburb is perfect. The hedges are perfectly shaped, there’s happy music outside, trees are decorated with Christmas lights and it’s flawlessly clean. In an instance you’ll notice it’s a high class village by the extreme cars in the parking lot and the real (or fake ;)) American housewives. After some research of this village I found out it’s the hometown of several Hollywood stars, like the Kardashians and Justin Bieber. (I didn’t run into them though ;))

It was a little too perfect and quiet for me, so I headed to Malibu for both days of the weekend. And that place is heaven on earth for me! Read more about it in my Malibu blog post.

Feeling hot!

What impressed me the most this weekend, was the weather! It’s 24 – 26 degrees (75-80 F), but it feels even hotter. Maybe because I’m not used to these temperatures in Nov/Dec. I never laid on the beach on my birthday before. That already made it a great birthday!

Getting ready for Monday action

Now it’s the last night before my birthday (in LA time) and my first day of school. I’m ready and really excited! Tomorrow I’m also moving into my room in Hollywood. That will be the place were the action will happen for the next two months!

XOXO Mariella KvO

Next post will be from Hollywood! If you want to be the first to know, like my page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. You can also subscribe at the bottom of this page.